Nothing burns me more than dealing with customer service reps that obviously can't handle the job they're doing, and companies who do nothing about it.  It appears to be the growing trend, and one that really needs to be dealt with the gross amount of money these companies make from consumers.  While their profit margins are skyrocketing, the people who allow them to be so successful are getting the short end of the stick from every angle.

My frustration comes from my latest experiences with Verizon, on both the cellular and FIOS customer service fronts.  We have a Verizon MiFi for accessing the internet on the go, and FIOS for our home phone, TV, and internet.  While I can't say anything about the speeds and quality of service that we get, I have a lot to say about the customer service when there's a problem, and the total lack of professionalism in handling an issue when it arises.

A few weeks ago I contacted Verizon Wireless customer support with a signal issue with my MiFi.  The MiFi is a small wireless router that allows 5 devices to conect to their 4G LTE network.  This can be laptops, iPads, or any device that has built-in wireless connectivity.  The problem was that in order to get a solid connection I had to reboot the MiFi (sometimes more than once), and hope that it would actually get me online.  This would happen in dowtown Pittsburgh where I was well within the range of a 4G signal, and was quite an annoying thing to have to deal with.  So I called and explained the issue, and was sent out a replacement unit within a couple days.  I got the unit, and it worked fine for about 2 weeks.  After that, I noticed that everywhere I went it would only connect to the 3G signal instead of the 4G LTE signal, which is considerably faster.  So, I called again and explained the issue.  The rep decided that the best plan of action was to send me a different unit made by a different company.  I had the Samsung SCH-LC11 and he wanted to send me the Novatel 4510L instead.  He would have to get his manager to approve the replacement, which he promptly did, and we were in business...or so I thought.

Before he could send me out the replacement unit, he told me that I would have to buy a battery since my battery wouldn't work in the device.  Verizon's replacement process only sends you the actual unit itself, with no battery or battery cover.  I already knew this since I had already had one unit replaced, but thought that having to buy a new battery shouldn't be part of my responsibility, but I agreed to pay the $30 to resolve the situation.  He put in both orders, and I was supposed to receive the items in a couple days.  I ended up receiving the battery on Friday, but the device itself didn't come until the following Tuesday, almost a week after my initial call.  When it came, they didn't send a battery cover.  I had the battery (which I bought), but nothing to hold it in place, because the cover off of my old unit wasn't the same style.  So, I called Verizon again.  This time I expressed my frustration, stating that this isn't even something that I should have to deal with considering the fact that the previous rep knew the situation and why he was sending me this unit.  The rep apologized and told me she would get one out in the mail overnight and that I should have it the next day.  She said that she would call me back the next day as well to verify that I received it.  I thought this was a good thing, and thanked her for her assistance.  The next morning I received an email stating that the shipment wasn't due to arrive until the following day.  What?!?!  How can this be, when she specifically told me that she ordered it and had it sent out overnight?  So, when she called I again expressed my frustration.  She apologized, but couldn't give me a reason as to why it went out late.  In the end I couldn't even use the service that I pay $50/mo. for, but had to continue to pay for it.

The FIOS ordeal is even more annoying.  Verizon (as with a lot of other companies) pushes you to use their online services to recevie your billing statements.  This saves them from having to print out paper bills and mail them.  I get that, and have no problem in doing my part for the environment.  However, when it severely inconveniences me to the point of having to spend over an hour on the phone trying to access my account, then I have a real problem with it.

For some reason our service was temporarily suspended because of a billing issue that wasn't even our fault.  So I called FIOS support only to be even more frustrated when I couldn't access my account.  In order to get anywhere with them you have to know your customer account number.  This number is on your bill.  But, in order to access your bill you have to be able to log into your account.  When your service is suspended, you're not allowed to log into your account.  What kind of idiot thought that this was a good process to implement?  And, the best part is that they tell you that you can still go online to pay your bill and reactivate your service.  The problem is that in order to do that you STILL have to have your account number, which AGAIN is on your paperlesss bill that you don't have any access to.  And no one at Verizon sees this as a problem, but instead tells you to do something that you can't do, and refuses to help you.  And we pay these people money?

In the end, something needs to happen so that these companies understand that without us, there is no business.  Instead of finding new ways to squeeze more money out of us, how about providing better service and rates so that people actually want to use your service, as opposed to locking us into contracts that cost more to break than to deal with the incompetant idiots that they pay minimum wage to answer the phones.  It all goes back to the corporate greed that I talked about before, and it needs to end before it gets worse.